Written Answers Friday 2 November 2007

Scottish Executive

Central Heating

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications have been made by people in Fife under the central heating programme since its inception.

Stewart Maxwell: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The information requested is not held at local authority level.

  However, in the KY postcode area, which covers Fife, the Managing Agent has indicated that 1,344 householders applied to the central heating programme in 2006-07 and in 2007-08 there are currently 987 applications in the KY postcode area.

  Not all applicants to the programme are eligible or go on to receive a central heating system.

Central Heating

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for applicants in Fife under the central heating programme.

Stewart Maxwell: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Information in the format requested is not held centrally.

  In Scotland as a whole, the average waiting time on the central heating programme reported by the Managing Agent in 2007-08 is currently five to six months.

Central Heating

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applicants in Fife under the central heating programme will be without central heating or hot water over the next five months.

Stewart Maxwell: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Currently in the KY postcode area, which covers Fife, the managing agent has indicated that there are 613 applicants on the waiting list. However, precise information is not available about the number of these applicants without heating and/or hot water.

Central Heating

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for applicants under the central heating programme to receive written correspondence regarding their applications.

Stewart Maxwell: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Under the terms of the contract, the managing agent has five working days to acknowledge receipt of an application, 15 working days to carry out an eligibility survey and a further five working days to notify the householder, in writing, of the outcome of the eligibility survey.

  These issues are discussed by Communities Scotland officials at monthly contract compliance meetings with the managing agent.

Class Sizes

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-4096 by Maureen Watt on 20 September 2007, whether estimates were made of the additional capital requirements in each year from 2007-08 to 2011-12 to support the reduction in class sizes to 18 in primary 1 to primary 3 before the decision was made to proceed with this policy.

Maureen Watt: We have made clear that the pace and scale of changes which will be needed to meet our commitment to reducing P1 to P3 class sizes is subject to further discussion with COSLA and other interests. As was the case with recent class size changes, the full implications for physical accommodation will only become clearer as these discussions progress and as individual local authorities assess the situation at each school at which accommodation may be a factor.

Class Sizes

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-4096 by Maureen Watt on 20 September 2007, whether it will provide a breakdown of how each local authority has spent its share of the additional £40 million of Schools Fund grant in pursuance of reducing class sizes to 18 in primary 1 to primary 3.

Maureen Watt: The Schools Fund capital grant, including the additional £40 million, is for expenditure at any stage of the current financial year which ends on 31 March 2008.

Class Sizes

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-4095 by Maureen Watt on 20 September 2007, what assessment was made of the implications for the physical accommodation requirements in all schools before the decision was made to pursue the policy of reducing class sizes to 18 in primary 1 to primary 3.

Maureen Watt: We have made clear that the pace and scale of changes which will be needed to meet our commitment to reducing primary 1 to primary 3 class sizes is subject to further discussion with COSLA and other interests. As was the case with recent class size changes, the full implications for physical accommodation will only become clearer as these discussions progress and as individual local authorities assess the situation at each school at which accommodation may be a factor.

Climate Change

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the decision to abolish the Cabinet Committee on Sustainable Scotland, what formal internal mechanisms exist to ensure that decisions meet the Executive’s five priorities and contribute to the target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by over 3% a year.

Richard Lochhead: It is the responsibility of Cabinet, assisted by the Strategic Board, to achieve the overall purpose and the five strategic objectives set by the Scottish Government. The Greener Scotland strategic objective is supported by a Programme Board, chaired by the Director General Environment and reporting directly to the Strategic Board and Cabinet. This board will take responsibility for oversight of the programmes to deliver reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and other targets of the government.

  Our Scottish Climate Change Bill will set out our proposed targets on emissions, including our headline aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by the year 2050, and mandatory annual reporting to provide strong accountability. We aim to launch the public consultation on proposals for the bill around the turn of the year.

Coastal Protection

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which agency is responsible for identifying areas of intertidal land around our coasts which are vulnerable to the impact of sea level rise and what steps that agency is taking to avoid the loss and deterioration of areas protected by EU conservation measures.

Richard Lochhead: Local authorities have discretionary powers under the Coast Protection Act 1949 to protect the coast against erosion and encroachment by the sea.

  Scottish Natural Heritage is responsible for providing advice to relevant public bodies on all aspects of the natural heritage of Scotland including the intertidal area and the seas around Scotland out to 12 nautical miles.

Community Wardens

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many fines were issued by environmental health officers and community wardens for littering in each of the last five years.

Richard Lochhead: The information requested is not held centrally.

  However, the independent environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB) carries out a periodic survey of the local authority use of Part IV of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The results of the last three surveys are given in the table below.

  Fixed Penalty Notices Issued for Littering (from KSB Survey)

  

Year
Number


2000-01
1021


2004-05
1,737


2006-07
2,8091



  Note: 1. Based on responses from 28 out of 32 local authorities. 2006-07 results are provisional.

Education

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the film, An Inconvenient Truth, and supporting materials were assessed against any safeguards that exist to prevent the exposure of children to (a) political bias and (b) scientific inaccuracy or misrepresentation in the classroom before they were sent to schools.

Maureen Watt: The responsibility for the management and delivery of the curriculum is a matter for education authorities and head teachers, or in the case of independent schools, the boards of governors and head teachers. It is, therefore, for each individual school to decide whether and if so how, to use the teaching resource developed by Learning and Teaching Scotland to support pupils’ study of climate change which includes this film.

  The prime intention of the Climate Change Educational Resource, developed by Learning and Teaching Scotland in conjunction with the Sustainable Development Education Liaison Group, is to encourage discussion and debate for senior pupils (S5 to S6) on the local and international issues surrounding climate change, to raise awareness and stimulate debate.

  It should be noted that all registered teachers in Scotland are subject to the terms of the revised Standard for Full Registration, published by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) in September 2007, which puts in place a framework of reflective professional judgement and values combined with compliance with local authority guidelines and policies. In serious individual instances of deliberate political bias, or exposure of pupils to scientific inaccuracy or misrepresentation, matters could be addressed through existing disciplinary procedures at employer and/or regulatory level.

  GTCS will be undertaking a full consultation on a new and wide-ranging Code of Professionalism and Conduct to be introduced in 2008. This will set out the key principles and professional standards for registered teachers in Scotland, embodies the need to comply with the Standard for Full Registration and any future guidance issued by the GTC Scotland.

Environment

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has made of the tonnage of hen manure likely to be deposited by free range hens in the fields of Blythbank between 1 November and 31 March each year once the 250,000 free range egg enterprise is fully operational and what estimate SEPA has made of the annual tonnage deposited on these fields.

Richard Lochhead: This information is not held centrally, but is an operational matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. I invite you to write to the agency’s chief executive, Dr Campbell Gemmell, about this matter.

Finance

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide direct funding to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland for the modernisation of Edinburgh Zoo in its current location.

Richard Lochhead: Edinburgh Zoo is owned and operated by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. The society is not funded by the Scottish Government.

Housing

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many houses have been sold by each local authority under right to buy legislation in each of the last 10 years.

Stewart Maxwell: The following table gives the number of sales by local authorities to sitting tenants under right to buy over the past 10 years.

  Sales by Local Authorities Under Right to Buy: 1997 to 2006

  

 
 1997
 1998
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005
 2006


 Aberdeen City
 828
 789
 771
 700
 656
 577
 742
 514
 546
 446


 Aberdeenshire
 470
 288
 314
 380
 330
 424
 393
 277
 325
 249


 Angus
 328
 208
 226
 255
 191
 236
 251
 234
 205
 139


 Argyll and Bute
 159
 168
 156
 108
 153
 218
 301
 262
 187
 137


 Clackmannanshire
 176
 119
 124
 104
 136
 194
 230
 120
 109
 118


 Dumfries and Galloway
 414
 366
 337
 396
 349
 404
 496
 304
 284
 230


 Dundee City
 405
 321
 254
 296
 259
 237
 265
 260
 281
 251


 East Ayrshire
 584
 435
 524
 606
 505
 595
 679
 489
 499
 322


 East Dunbartonshire
 155
 149
 191
 159
 167
 231
 388
 184
 162
 100


 East Lothian
 241
 202
 193
 288
 276
 471
 426
 287
 178
 171


 East Renfrewshire
 115
 85
 60
 118
 127
 167
 141
 86
 100
 104


 Edinburgh (City of)
 752
 666
 533
 657
 501
 606
 907
 566
 374
 379


 Eilean Siar
 41
 47
 35
 33
 37
 69
 64
 48
 49
 42


 Falkirk
 611
 449
 377
 512
 566
 788
 751
 605
 588
 443


 Fife
 892
 833
 825
 752
 860
 951
 1,383
 1,074
 927
 697


 Glasgow City
 1,894
 1,860
 1,635
 1,817
 1,730
 1,938
 1,466
 976
 780
 689


 Highland
 701
 626
 612
 677
 552
 641
 645
 592
 524
 313


 Inverclyde
 494
 405
 364
 389
 287
 285
 282
 156
 154
 161


 Midlothian
 240
 190
 204
 183
 240
 330
 384
 272
 158
 169


 Moray
 253
 120
 165
 158
 147
 203
 181
 195
 198
 151


 North Ayrshire
 434
 341
 391
 420
 387
 493
 585
 499
 487
 404


 North Lanarkshire
 1,474
 1,456
 1,386
 1,498
 1,441
 1,517
 1,592
 1,250
 1,085
 936


 Orkney
 42
 37
 45
 29
 22
 24
 34
 27
 18
 20


 Perth and Kinross
 266
 249
 246
 213
 177
 302
 368
 275
 240
 182


 Renfrewshire
 535
 506
 402
 455
 610
 738
 669
 478
 457
 361


 Scottish Borders
 266
 159
 133
 181
 181
 220
 192
 170
 160
 138


 Shetland
 59
 48
 108
 71
 54
 85
 60
 33
 50
 41


 South Ayrshire
 337
 343
 247
 227
 235
 280
 470
 380
 249
 178


 South Lanarkshire
 1,414
 1,168
 1,166
 1,100
 882
 1,226
 1,535
 1,139
 884
 722


 Stirling
 221
 164
 212
 230
 218
 309
 295
 264
 176
 174


 West Dunbartonshire
 212
 275
 251
 209
 224
 305
 430
 331
 295
 236


 West Lothian
 546
 496
 415
 483
 473
 691
 847
 440
 356
 261


 Scotland
 15,559
 13,568
 12,902
 13,704
 12,973
 15,755
 17,452
 12,787
 11,085
 8,964



  Source: Sales 3 returns by local authorities to the Scottish Government Communities Analytical Services (Housing Statistics).

  Notes:

  1. Estimates are made for outstanding returns and figures may therefore differ from those published previously as outstanding returns become available and systems are updated.

  2. Figures include sales under modernised right to buy, as well as sales under preserved right to buy by local authorities who have transferred their stock since 2003.

Housing

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many houses have been built by each local authority in each of the last 10 years.

Stewart Maxwell: The following table gives the number of new build completions by each local authority over the past 10 years.

  Local Authority New Build Completions: 1997 to 2006

  

 
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006


Aberdeen City
50
-
-
-
18
27
53
-
-
-


Aberdeenshire
-
11
46
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Angus
27
48
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Argyll and Bute
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Clackmannanshire
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Dumfries and Galloway
-
-
-
-
-
-
na
na
na
na


Dundee City
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


East Ayrshire
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


East Dunbartonshire
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


East Lothian
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


East Renfrewshire
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Edinburgh (City of)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Eilean Siar
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Falkirk
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Fife
-
-
1
2
-
-
-
-
-
-


Glasgow City
42
-
5
89
-
18
na
na
na
na


Highland
-
5
12
-
-
1
-
-
-
-


Inverclyde
-
19
17
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Midlothian
26
36
-
4
24
-
-
-
-
-


Moray
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


North Ayrshire
3
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
-


North Lanarkshire
-
-
-
-
30
-
-
-
-
-


Orkney
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Perth and Kinross
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Renfrewshire
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Scottish Borders
-
-
-
-
-
-
na
na
na
na


Shetland
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6


South Ayrshire
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


South Lanarkshire
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Stirling
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


West Dunbartonshire
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


West Lothian
28
20
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Scotland
177
139
81
95
72
51
53
-
-
6



  Source: NB1 returns by local authorities to the Scottish Government Communities Analytical Services (Housing Statistics).

  Notes:

  1. Figures consist of new build by local authorities only, and do not include completions by housing associations and private developers.

  2. Dumfries and Galloway, Glasgow and the Scottish Borders councils transferred their housing stock in 2003 to Registered Social Landlords.

Housing

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many housing association properties are (a) currently subject to right to buy legislation and (b) due to become subject to right to buy in 2012 under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, broken down by local authority area.

Stewart Maxwell: The Right to Buy is conferred upon tenancies rather than properties. However, the estimates in the table give an indication of the number of properties which could, potentially, be purchased as a result of the current entitlement of tenants of Registered Social Landlords (RSLs).

  These estimates have been derived from the annual returns made by RSLs to Communities Scotland during 2006-07. The data in those returns suggest that 146,558 tenants may be able to purchase under the Right to Buy from a total number of 244,622 RSL tenancies across Scotland (collated at 31 March 2007)1. Some of these tenants may not yet have accrued sufficient qualifying time to be eligible to purchase, and some may currently be prevented from purchasing until 2012 by virtue of the suspension applied by section 61A(3)(b) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 (as amended).

  Estimated Numbers of RSL Tenancies with Right to Buy Entitlement (2006-07)

  

Local Authority Area
Number of RSL Tenancies¹


Aberdeen City
1,216


Aberdeenshire
896


Angus
345


Argyll and Bute
5,282


City of Edinburgh
4,189


City of Glasgow
89,005


Clackmannanshire
588


Dumfries and Galloway
10,571


Dundee City
1,402


East Ayrshire
1,550


East Dunbartonshire
838


East Lothian
940


East Renfrewshire
763


Falkirk
625


Fife
1,201


Highland
777


Inverclyde
2,081


Midlothian
1,616


Moray
456


North Ayrshire
1,420


North Lanarkshire
4,298


Orkney Islands
1


Perth and Kinross
77


Renfrewshire
3,568


Scottish Borders2
2,236


Shetland Islands
16


South Ayrshire
218


South Lanarkshire
3,103


Stirling
193


West Dunbartonshire
3,835


Western Isles
1,777


West Lothian
1,475


Total (all Scotland)
146,558



  Source: Communities Scotland Regulation and Inspection Scottish Registered Social Landlord Statistics 2006-07.

  Notes:

  1. The data provided include tenancies which were given a contractual equivalent to the right to buy upon transfer from a local authority to a RSL to ensure that tenants’ ability to purchase is not compromised by the transfer. This is the case when the RSL receiving stock cannot provide the right to buy because it is a charitable RSL, either registered as such prior to 18 July 2001 or by virtue of one of two Orders made for this purpose by the Scottish Parliament in 2002.

  2. The data provided for Scottish Borders does not include the Scottish Borders Housing Association (SBHA) tenancies which were given a contractual equivalent to the right to buy upon transfer from Scottish Borders Council to SBHA. 2,236 is therefore an underestimate.

  In response to part (b) of the question, the data held currently are insufficient to enable the number to be estimated of tenants who are currently entitled to the right to buy but are prevented from purchasing until 2012 by virtue of the suspension applied by Section 61A(3)(b) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 (as amended).

Parenting

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to gather comprehensive data and qualitative evidence about fathers’ and children’s experiences of parental involvement.

Maureen Watt: Information is being collected via the Growing Up in Scotland Study on fathers’ activities and behaviours with their children; and via the Millennium Cohort Study on the role of fathers in children’s lives on a UK-wide basis.

  Funding is also being provided towards Children in Scotland’s "Children, Fathers and Fatherhood" project to promote the importance of fathers’ involvement with their children, to collate information and good practice and to develop strategies and disseminate guidance to service providers.

Recycling

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it takes in respect of local authorities failing to reach recycling targets.

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to impose financial penalties on local authorities that fail to achieve recycling targets and, if so, what these penalties may be.

Richard Lochhead: There are currently no specific statutory targets for local authorities in relation to recycling. However, authorities have to comply with the limits laid down in the Landfill Allowance Scheme on the amount of biodegradable waste they send to landfill. If authorities fail to comply with these limits they may be subject to penalties, including fines.

Recycling

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with North Ayrshire Council regarding recycling targets.

Richard Lochhead: We held a Waste Summit on 3 October 2007, to which all local authorities were invited to discuss the way forward with regard to waste and recycling, including targets. North Ayrshire Council was represented at this event.

Schools

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria it believes should be used by local authorities when considering whether to close or amalgamate schools.

Maureen Watt: We re-issued guidance to local authorities on proposals for changes to the school estate on 11 October. A copy is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 43920). The guidance makes clear our expectation that, in consulting and deciding on all such proposals, authorities should take account not only of educational but of all other relevant factors, in the process of reaching a final decision.

Schools

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it intends to give to the City of Edinburgh Council to help school rebuilding.

Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government is committed to further improving Scotland’s school estate, and to working with authorities, including the City of Edinburgh Council, on how best to continue to achieve that. We will be providing financial support towards the current rebuilding of Bonaly and Juniper Green Primary Schools and of Broughton, Craigroyston, Forrester, Holy Rood, St Augustine’s and Tynecastle High Schools. Funding allocations in support of future investment plans for the school estate have yet to be announced.

Teachers

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-4092 by Maureen Watt on 20 September 2007, whether it will publish the work being undertaken.

Maureen Watt: This year’s teacher workforce planning process has just commenced. It will result in advice to the Scottish Funding Council on the requirements for new teachers which will include our commitments to class size reduction along with requirements derived from other factors such as the demographic change in the number of teachers and pupils. This advice is widely circulated around interested parties and we will arrange for a copy to be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Trade Unions

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has provided to trade unions in each year since 1999, broken down by (a) union and (b) budget heading.

Fiona Hyslop: Over the period since 1999, the Scottish Executive has provided funding to the STUC and a number of individual trade unions where such funding has been consistent with Executive policy and met appropriate programme criteria. The information requested, for each financial year and broken down by trade union and budget heading, has been incorporated in a series of tables which have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 43956).

  The funding provided has included, for example, support towards the implementation of the Scottish Union Learning Fund and towards community-based adult learning.

VisitScotland

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, as a result of its proposed changes to the structure of VisitScotland, there will be any change to the staffing of the VisitShetland offices in Shetland and of other local tourism offices throughout Scotland.

Jim Mather: This is an operational matter for VisitScotland. I have asked the Chief Executive of VisitScotland to write to you direct on this matter.

VisitScotland

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement on enterprise networks by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth on 26 September 2007, which VisitScotland local offices are under consideration for closure.

Jim Mather: This is an operational matter for VisitScotland. I have asked the Chief Executive of VisitScotland to write to you direct on this matter.

Waste Management

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to local authorities regarding the introduction of a three bin collection system.

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to local authorities regarding the timescale for the implementation of a three bin collection system.

Richard Lochhead: Decisions on collection systems are a matter for local authorities. Remade Scotland published a report in February 2007 on Kerbside Collections – Factors for Success This report includes information on three bin collection systems and can be viewed at: www.remade.org.uk/files/Remade%20Kerbside%20Report.pdf .

Waste Management

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities will incur fines if they do not introduce three bin collection systems.

Richard Lochhead: No. However, the Scottish ministers do have the power to fine local authorities if they fail to meet targets to divert waste from landfill under the Landfill Allowance Scheme.